Quotes and Themes Find 4 quotes for each theme with an explanation of what the quote means. The explanation will help you use the quote in your essay.
The Prince states near the end of Romeo and Juliet that “All are punished.” Do you agree that everyone is fairly punished? Analyse the actions and consequences of each of the main characters to justify your contention.
We have done the following steps in planning our essay. 1. Key words and definitions: we had 5 key words: punished; fairly; actions; consequences; justify. We also looked at what a contention is: your point of view or your argument for the essay. There were 3 options for this: yes all were fairly punished; no, some weren't fairly punished; no, no one was fairly punished.
2. Decode the question: Rewrite the question in your own words. Think, what is the question asking me to write about?
3. Themes: What are the main themes you will need to talk about to answer this question? Make sure you have your quotes and explanations for these themes.
4. Brainstorm: Brainstorm and concept map everything you can think of about the Themes and the Essay Question. You don’t have to use everything you write but lots of ideas will help you. For this brainstorm look at all the main characters and answer these questions (Romeo, Juliet, Montague, Lady Montague, Capulet, Lady Capulet, Paris, Friar Lawrence, Tybalt, Mercutio, the Nurse) Did these people get what they deserved? Considering what they did?
What did they do?
What were the consequences of their actions?
How were they punished?
Was this punishment fair?
Eg. Romeo one thing he did: fought with Tybalt to avenge Mercutio’s death. consequences: Tybalt died, making another death in the Montague/Capulet feud. punishment: banished from Verona and all his friends and family. fair: this was fair because the Prince had already said anyone fighting would be killed. Banishment is a fair punishment because Romeo shouldn’t have taken it into his own hands, but because Tybalt would have been executed anyway for killing Mercutio, Romeo’s punishment was lessened.
5. Contention: Now look at what you wrote for step 2 and answer the question. In other words what do you think, what will be your argument for this essay. Write a sentence summing up what you will try to prove in the essay. This is your Contention. There are 3 main options for this: YES everyone got what they deserved; NO no one got what they deserved; SOME got what they deserved and others didn't. 6.Paragraphs: Now you need to plan, IN DETAIL, what will go into each paragraph. Take a look at all the great ideas from your Brainstorm and your Contention. Consider the best arguments, the strong ones, and figure out the best way to present your argument. This will depend on your Contention.
YES: Each paragraph could be about a different character. Put the one with the best arguments for why they deserved what they got, FIRST. Then the next best, and so on.
NO: Each paragraph could be about a different character. Put the one with the best arguments for why they didn't deserve what they got, FIRST. Then the next best, and so on.
SOME: One paragraph could look at several different characters that got what they deserved and look at why you think they got what they deserved. The other paragraph could look at several different characters that didn't deserve what they got, and why they didn't deserve it. And if you want you could have a paragraph about the characters who deserved more punishment than they got and why they deserved more, why their punishment wasn't enough.
Now you start writing. Here are the components and some tips to help you write each section.
Introduction: an introduction should be a preview of what is to come. This is why planning is so important, because you can't write about what is to come in your essay if even you don't know what you'll be writing.
- You start by mentioning the Essay Question (this is like a topic sentence for the entire essay). Eg. The prince states that "all are punished" at the end of Romeo and Juliet, but is everyone punished fairly?
- Next you need to preview what your main arguments (paragraphs) are, so that your reader knows a little bit about what you will be arguing. Eg. Many characters in Romeo and Juliet did terrible, immoral things and deserved that bad things that happened to them. Their punishments fit their various crimes. blah, blah, blah... Other characters were treated unfairly as they only meant the best and never wanted ...(variou bad things)... to happen. They did not deserve their punishments. blah, blah, blah....
- The last thing you need to mention is your contention. You need to say this clearly so that there is no way that anyone reading your essay could misunderstand you. BUT, we don't EVER want to use the word 'I'. Eg. The prince's statement that all are punished was made in anger and doesn't mean that all were punished fairly. Many people did not deserve what happened to them, though there are definitely some who did deserve their punishment.
Paragraphs and TEEL: this is the main part of your essay and is your chance to present lots of evidence to prove your contention. You must explain all these pieces of evidence to me. You cannot mention something that happened in the story without telling me HOW it helps prove your argument.
Topic Sentence This should do for your paragraph what the introduction does for your essay. It should tell your reader what will be in this paragraph, what it is all about. If your paragraph is going to be about the people who deserved what they got, say this in your first sentence, your topic sentence. Eg. Not everyone was fairly punished but many of them got exactly what they deserved. These characters all did horrible, mean or hateful things, and therefore earned their punishment. * You can see what I will talk about it my paragraph based on this.
Evidence and Explanation These two should form the bulk of your paragraph and be repeated many times. They should be linked in together. Remember that Evidence can be quotes or references to things that happened in the story. The Explanation is there to describe to your reader HOW the evidence helps prove your Contention. Example with no explanation: Tybalt was a hotheaded and violent man who started many fights. He fought with Benvolio and his friends, he tried to start a fight with Romeo and fought Mercutio, whom he killed..... *I know all this, I read the story. What you need to add is HOW this shows that Tybalt deserved what he got. Spell it out for me really clearly, even if it seems obvious. Example with explanation: Tybalt was a hotheaded and violent man who started many fights. He fought with Benvolio and his friends, over a silly gesture because he loved to fight. After this the Prince declared "If ever you disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace." In other words anyone fighting will be executed for it. Tybalt ignored this and he tried to start a fight with Romeo. This lead to Mercutio's death. So his life was forfeit, he was going to be executed and when Romeo kills him, he is only doing what the Prince would have done. Tybalt deserves his fate, his punishment because he would have just kept on fighting and killing more people. *See how this second one focusses on proving my point that Tybalt got what he deserved, where as the first one just lists the bad things he does.
Link This finishes off your paragraph and links your ideas together. Remind your reader of what your contention is- link back to your contention. Eg. All these people deserved exactly what they got for the bad things they did throughout Romeo and Juliet. *Simple. It's repetitive but in a good way that helps your reader stay on track and really hammer in your point of view.
Now you do the same thing with your next paragraph, working through the great points you came up with in your brainstorming and planning. If you planned really well, you should know exactly what you will want to say and you can concentrate on saying it in a nice, formal way.
*Remember not to write "I" as in "I think..." "I believe..." or say stuff like "my opinion is..." I know it's your opinion because it's your essay!
Conclusion: the purpose of a Conclusion is to remind the reader of all the great points you made in your paragraphs. It's like the closing statement made by a lawyer in a court case. They remind the jury of all the evidence they presented and what it ultimately means. So you remind me of the great things you said, in a shortened version, and then sum up your argument by reminding me one last time of your contention. Eg. Each and every character in Romeo and Juliet was effected somehow by what happened. They were all involved in the events somehow. Though some people did things for the good reasons and others because of hate or weakness. Tybalt was... Montague hated... Whereas Friar Lawrence only wanted... .... .... The punishments were not always fair. Some people such as ... deserved what they got. Other like ... didn't deserve their punishment at all. "All are punished" but this justice certainly wasn't fair.
Creative Choice Assignment: due Thursday 2nd December Assignment Sheet
Here is a link to another useful site which includes a chronology (chronology is "the arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence") R&J Navigator
Direct link for the Chronology of Events Chronology
Quotes and Themes
Find 4 quotes for each theme with an explanation of what the quote means. The explanation will help you use the quote in your essay.
Romeo and Juliet
Essay Question
The Prince states near the end of Romeo and Juliet that “All are punished.”
Do you agree that everyone is fairly punished?
Analyse the actions and consequences of each of the main characters to justify your contention.
We have done the following steps in planning our essay.
1. Key words and definitions: we had 5 key words: punished; fairly; actions; consequences; justify. We also looked at what a contention is: your point of view or your argument for the essay. There were 3 options for this: yes all were fairly punished; no, some weren't fairly punished; no, no one was fairly punished.
2. Decode the question: Rewrite the question in your own words. Think, what is the question asking me to write about?
3. Themes: What are the main themes you will need to talk about to answer this question? Make sure you have your quotes and explanations for these themes.
4. Brainstorm: Brainstorm and concept map everything you can think of about the Themes and the Essay Question. You don’t have to use everything you write but lots of ideas will help you.
For this brainstorm look at all the main characters and answer these questions
(Romeo, Juliet, Montague, Lady Montague, Capulet, Lady Capulet, Paris, Friar Lawrence, Tybalt, Mercutio, the Nurse)
Did these people get what they deserved? Considering what they did?
- What did they do?
- What were the consequences of their actions?
- How were they punished?
- Was this punishment fair?
Eg. Romeoone thing he did: fought with Tybalt to avenge Mercutio’s death.
consequences: Tybalt died, making another death in the Montague/Capulet feud.
punishment: banished from Verona and all his friends and family.
fair: this was fair because the Prince had already said anyone fighting would be killed. Banishment is a fair punishment because Romeo shouldn’t have taken it into his own hands, but because Tybalt would have been executed anyway for killing Mercutio, Romeo’s punishment was lessened.
5. Contention: Now look at what you wrote for step 2 and answer the question. In other words what do you think, what will be your argument for this essay.
Write a sentence summing up what you will try to prove in the essay.
This is your Contention.
There are 3 main options for this: YES everyone got what they deserved; NO no one got what they deserved; SOME got what they deserved and others didn't.
6. Paragraphs: Now you need to plan, IN DETAIL, what will go into each paragraph.
Take a look at all the great ideas from your Brainstorm and your Contention. Consider the best arguments, the strong ones, and figure out the best way to present your argument. This will depend on your Contention.
YES: Each paragraph could be about a different character. Put the one with the best arguments for why they deserved what they got, FIRST. Then the next best, and so on.
NO: Each paragraph could be about a different character. Put the one with the best arguments for why they didn't deserve what they got, FIRST. Then the next best, and so on.
SOME: One paragraph could look at several different characters that got what they deserved and look at why you think they got what they deserved.
The other paragraph could look at several different characters that didn't deserve what they got, and why they didn't deserve it.
And if you want you could have a paragraph about the characters who deserved more punishment than they got and why they deserved more, why their punishment wasn't enough.
Now you start writing. Here are the components and some tips to help you write each section.
Introduction: an introduction should be a preview of what is to come. This is why planning is so important, because you can't write about what is to come in your essay if even you don't know what you'll be writing.
- You start by mentioning the Essay Question (this is like a topic sentence for the entire essay).
Eg. The prince states that "all are punished" at the end of Romeo and Juliet, but is everyone punished fairly?
- Next you need to preview what your main arguments (paragraphs) are, so that your reader knows a little bit about what you will be arguing.
Eg. Many characters in Romeo and Juliet did terrible, immoral things and deserved that bad things that happened to them. Their punishments fit their various crimes. blah, blah, blah...
Other characters were treated unfairly as they only meant the best and never wanted ...(variou bad things)... to happen. They did not deserve their punishments. blah, blah, blah....
- The last thing you need to mention is your contention. You need to say this clearly so that there is no way that anyone reading your essay could misunderstand you. BUT, we don't EVER want to use the word 'I'.
Eg. The prince's statement that all are punished was made in anger and doesn't mean that all were punished fairly. Many people did not deserve what happened to them, though there are definitely some who did deserve their punishment.
Paragraphs and TEEL: this is the main part of your essay and is your chance to present lots of evidence to prove your contention. You must explain all these pieces of evidence to me. You cannot mention something that happened in the story without telling me HOW it helps prove your argument.
Topic Sentence
This should do for your paragraph what the introduction does for your essay. It should tell your reader what will be in this paragraph, what it is all about. If your paragraph is going to be about the people who deserved what they got, say this in your first sentence, your topic sentence.
Eg. Not everyone was fairly punished but many of them got exactly what they deserved. These characters all did horrible, mean or hateful things, and therefore earned their punishment.
* You can see what I will talk about it my paragraph based on this.
Evidence and Explanation
These two should form the bulk of your paragraph and be repeated many times. They should be linked in together.
Remember that Evidence can be quotes or references to things that happened in the story.
The Explanation is there to describe to your reader HOW the evidence helps prove your Contention.
Example with no explanation:
Tybalt was a hotheaded and violent man who started many fights. He fought with Benvolio and his friends, he tried to start a fight with Romeo and fought Mercutio, whom he killed.....
*I know all this, I read the story. What you need to add is HOW this shows that Tybalt deserved what he got. Spell it out for me really clearly, even if it seems obvious.
Example with explanation:
Tybalt was a hotheaded and violent man who started many fights. He fought with Benvolio and his friends, over a silly gesture because he loved to fight. After this the Prince declared "If ever you disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace." In other words anyone fighting will be executed for it. Tybalt ignored this and he tried to start a fight with Romeo. This lead to Mercutio's death. So his life was forfeit, he was going to be executed and when Romeo kills him, he is only doing what the Prince would have done. Tybalt deserves his fate, his punishment because he would have just kept on fighting and killing more people.
*See how this second one focusses on proving my point that Tybalt got what he deserved, where as the first one just lists the bad things he does.
Link
This finishes off your paragraph and links your ideas together. Remind your reader of what your contention is- link back to your contention.
Eg. All these people deserved exactly what they got for the bad things they did throughout Romeo and Juliet.
*Simple. It's repetitive but in a good way that helps your reader stay on track and really hammer in your point of view.
Now you do the same thing with your next paragraph, working through the great points you came up with in your brainstorming and planning.
If you planned really well, you should know exactly what you will want to say and you can concentrate on saying it in a nice, formal way.
*Remember not to write "I" as in "I think..." "I believe..." or say stuff like "my opinion is..." I know it's your opinion because it's your essay!
Conclusion: the purpose of a Conclusion is to remind the reader of all the great points you made in your paragraphs. It's like the closing statement made by a lawyer in a court case. They remind the jury of all the evidence they presented and what it ultimately means.
So you remind me of the great things you said, in a shortened version, and then sum up your argument by reminding me one last time of your contention.
Eg. Each and every character in Romeo and Juliet was effected somehow by what happened. They were all involved in the events somehow. Though some people did things for the good reasons and others because of hate or weakness. Tybalt was... Montague hated... Whereas Friar Lawrence only wanted... .... ....
The punishments were not always fair. Some people such as ... deserved what they got. Other like ... didn't deserve their punishment at all. "All are punished" but this justice certainly wasn't fair.
Creative Choice Assignment: due Thursday 2nd December
Assignment Sheet
Here is a link to the No Fear Shakespeare text online.
No Fear Shakespeare R&J
Here is a link to a blank R&J Timeline.
Here is a link to another useful site which includes a chronology (chronology is "the arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence")
R&J Navigator
Direct link for the Chronology of Events
Chronology